Life can be a bugger sometimes. Yesterday I was reminded of how dangerous horses can be when one of them ran into David while they were larking about and knocked him right into the gate. In those slow motion seconds when I ran to where he was on the ground, I thought he had been killed outright. As it was he was lying there assessing which bits hurt the most and whether anything was broken. Fortunately he was absolutely fine.
This morning I got to the fields to find Nettles in totally the wrong place and it became clear that one of the others, probably Theoden, had driven him straight through the fence. Fortunately he had only minor cuts although the fence wasn't looking so healthy. Before anyone feels too sorry for him, I was teaching him to pony off Petra this afternoon when he turned round and walloped her in the side with both back feet. She was unscathed but is probably bruised.
All of this pales into insignificance though as I have come home to find a forlorn text from Kanuthi's owner, Liz, who was the best home I could have ever wished a pony to go to, telling me that he was kicked by another horse last night and had to be put down as he suffered a severe fracture. I cannot imagine the pain she is going through since she loved him so much and I am sitting here with tears rolling down my face too. Kanuthi was the first Sherekhan foal that we bred from our New Forest mares and was a very beautiful and gentle boy.
